Local artist Jenny Blakeโs new exhibition, Block by Block, engages with a very present issue confronting us head on in 2019, minimising landfill.
Blake says the idea for the exhibition came about when she spotted a builderโs skip full of โbeautiful wood offcutsโ outside a home being renovated.
โI looked in and thought โoh my goodness, I hope this beautiful timber is not going to landfillโ,โ she says.
โI asked if I could take some of the wood out of the skip and they said sure, so I filled my little Mazda 2 to the brim, took it home and said โwhat can I do to upcycle thisโ.โ
Blake says upcycling the offcuts tied into her philosophy of utilising found or recycled objects in her art.
โFor me, Iโm all about material driving the art, especially if itโs found or redeemed from landfill.
โIf I can find something at the op shop, green shed or garage sale I collect it, because I might just be able to find something to do with it.
โI love painting and of course I buy canvases and paint, but if thereโs an opportunity to use a material and have that drive the art, Iโm always up for a challenge,โ she says.
Blake says the environmental aspect of her exhibition is a reflection of how the local community is thinking about it right now.
โI think that culturally thereโs been a rejuvenation for mending or saving things.
โAs a community weโre thinking more about the environment, thinking twice about single use plastics, and seeing what materials we have around the house.โ
The exhibition comprises 16 works including five block walls, which have been created as a reimagined brick wall, and involved her cutting the wood into little brick sizes, and painting a landscape or a seascape on each.
โIโve used the blocks as a canvas โฆ Iโm experimenting with different ways to present wood thatโs been painted with lovely seascapes and landscapes.
Jenny Blakeโs exhibition Block by Block will be on display at Strathnairn Arts from 19 September to 13 October; strathnairn.com.au
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